Post-apartheid electricity policy and the emergence of South Africa’s renewable energy sector

Baker, Lucy

doi:10.35188/unu-wider/2016/058-4

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 307 publications

(425 reference statements)

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“…More than 90% of South Africa's primary energy is derived from fossil fuels that constitute 80% of the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (STATS-SA, 2018). About 77% of South Africa's energy needs are directly derived from coal, and 92% of coal consumption on the African continent is produced in South Africa (Baker, 2017). The heavy dependence on coal in South Africa is not only because coal is a relatively cheap source of energy, but also because South Africa has abundant reserves (STATS-SA, 2017).…”

Section: Cassava As Potential Bio-fuel Feedstockmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Amelework

Bairu

Maema³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Cassava is an important starchy root crop grown globally in tropical and subtropical regions. The ability of cassava to withstand difficult growing conditions and long-term storability underground makes it a resilient crop, contributing to food security. Historically, small-scale farmers have grown cassava as a minor crop in the far north-eastern part of the country. However, there is an initiative to scale up cassava production, with two discrete areas of interest: large-scale production for industrial starch, and expanding its footprint as a food security crop for small-scale farmers, especially in the context of climate change. In this scoping study, production, processing and marketing data for cassava were accessed from the FAO and US Commercial trade databases. Other domestic market and demand analysis case studies were also explored. There is no cassava data available for South Africa. The study indicated that South Africa imports more than 66,000 tons of starch annually, of which 33% is cassava starch, showing the availability of a local market. The potential of cassava for the South African economy is discussed. Significant industrial opportunities exist for the production and use of cassava in South Africa. However, the realization of these opportunities will depend on the reliable supply of good quality cassava roots. However, the lack of a well-established cassava research program, and a lack of an existing value chain for the industrial scale cassava production and processing are barriers to the development of cassava industry in South Africa. As the initial step to the development of a successful cassava industry, high potential germplasm is imported, characterized and bred for local conditions to ensure the sustainable primary production of cassava. Subsequently, industrial value chains will need to be developed as the optimization of the breeding and agronomy of the crop are completed, and yield potentials are quantified in the different regions of the country.

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Section: Cassava As Potential Bio-fuel Feedstockmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Amelework

Bairu

Maema³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…Yet rather than the neutral and technical entity that risk is often presented as by commercial banks, investors and project developers, its definition and how it is allocated is highly subjective and contested. There are multiple considerations in defining risk, the emphasis of which can shift depending on the concerns and priorities of the moment, the technology and national socio-economic and political conditions (Baker, 2015a). Table 3 summarises common definitions of project risk, of which some examples are outlined in the ‘Territorial realities: South Africa and Mexico’ section.…”

Section: Global Processes: From Liberalisation To Financialisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Procurement, finance and the energy transition: Between global processes and territorial realities

Baker

2021

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

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Utility-scale renewable electricity generation is essential to decarbonisation as well as to ensuring affordable and secure electricity supplies around the world. Yet thus far there has been limited critical thinking dedicated to the complexities behind the finance and ownership of this new infrastructure and how national and local stakeholders should participate in and benefit from its development, particularly in contexts of high inequality in low- and middle-income countries. As the global renewable energy industry becomes increasingly consolidated and financialised, evidence from a number of countries suggests that despite the pro-environmental outcomes of utility-scale renewable electricity generation, the processes and institutions that procure and finance it have often failed to include or benefit individuals and communities living in the national and local vicinity. This paper therefore sets two key competing objectives of renewable electricity generation in context: as a predictable, long-term revenue stream for investors, and as a mechanism for socio-economic development and community empowerment. Building on scholarship from human geography, development studies and sustainability transitions, my analysis takes forward understandings of the role of finance in utility-scale renewable electricity generation as a key aspect of the political economy of the energy transition. In exploring the evolution of renewable electricity as a new and rapidly emerging asset class I consider how its development is increasingly determined by the frameworks and logics of finance and investment. Drawing on examples from South Africa and Mexico, I address the following questions: What are the evolving configurations and processes of finance and investment in utility-scale renewable electricity generation? How have they been facilitated? And what tensions have arisen from their implementation at the national and local level?

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“…Source: own data, [12,16,27,28]. It is noted that TIS is not the only analytical framework which can be used to study sustainability transitions.…”

Section: Formation Of Network and Technology Incubators Poormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As already mentioned, the national regulator is currently in a process of public consultation on this issue, but the decision has already passed its deadline and there seems little progress by the regulator. This tardiness reflects a general inability with respect to decision-making within government and has been ascribed to deeper political struggles over what is supported by the state and who benefits [28]. As a consequence, the government does not appear to move forward on important issues involving substantial realignment of public benefit, innovation and state support.…”

Section: Evaluation Of Photovoltaics and Rooftop Solar Systems In Soumentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of the Technological Innovation Systems Framework to Identify the Critical Factors for a Successful Sustainability Transition to Rooftop Solar in Low-Income Communities within South Africa

Walwyn¹

2016

Sustainable Energy - Technological Issues, Applications and Case Studies

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South Africa has a large unemployment rate with many households almost completely dependent on social grants for survival. Under such circumstances the potential of rooftop solar in developing vibrant and local energy micro-economies, which can generate and trade in electricity, is highly attractive. In this chapter, it is shown that such systems are uneconomic if considered from the perspective of a private investor. However a different conclusion emerges with respect to public funding. Even without considering the additional benefits of improved health and learning opportunities, lower levels of crime and lower levels of non-payment, rooftop solar becomes an attractive investment for the state, especially in areas of high solar irradiation. The 'electrification grant' could be delivered in several ways including the use of a subsidised feed-in-tariff. An initial analysis using the framework of technological innovation systems shows that much of the required structure for a rooftop solar system is already in place. However the state will need to boost efforts to train technicians to install and maintain the infrastructure, accelerate its initiatives to support local manufacture of photovoltaic modules, and strengthen the capability of the science and technology system to support the processes of technology diffusion and adoption.

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Post-apartheid electricity policy and the emergence of South Africa’s renewable energy sector

Cited by 10 publications

References 307 publications

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Procurement, finance and the energy transition: Between global processes and territorial realities

The Use of the Technological Innovation Systems Framework to Identify the Critical Factors for a Successful Sustainability Transition to Rooftop Solar in Low-Income Communities within South Africa

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